It was one dead animal too many and the time had come to deconstruct our deck. We loved that all the critters had a place to shelter but inevitably some crawled under and then passed over the rainbow bridge. I never thought I would have a use for all the terms I learned on the TV show CSI – Crime Scene Investigation, regarding decomposition. Three skunks, one squirrel and a raccoon leg – that’s almost a Christmas song…
When we moved into the shiny new house, 18 years ago, we were lucky enough to get one of the model homes. Granite countertops and fully landscaped back yard. It had grass that was utterly alien to me. In Scotland I had a yard the size of a field that I seeded and mowed. This Saint Augustine’s grass was as tough as old boots, killed the first lawnmower and had to go. We replaced the grass with little pebbles and bull rock and everything was wonderful. That is until, Toffee, our baby cat, decided that the little pebbles was ‘outside’ cat litter. She buried her poos, very carefully, but her toxic digestive system turned the rock green. We shared a parasite or two with the cats from Egypt.
What to do? We had a cat fence installed (think penitentiary boho chic) and then a deck within that area. The first deck was fantastic! The fence and cats prevented most visitors venturing under the deck. One special day, Mrs. Stripe touched noses with a Mama Raccoon – both were fascinated with each other. The deck lasted past the death of all three cats and the removal of the cat fence that was donated to an animal sanctuary. We lovingly maintained and painted it to match the house. Then the harsh Texas elements started to destroy the wood and the first critter died under it.
Our handyman deconstructed the much larger, original, deck and built a newer, smaller deck. It was nice but never quite as perfect as the first one. Every time the planks had to be removed (for locating dead bodies) and then replaced, it took a toll on the deck wood. When we were younger, it didn’t seem such a big deal; hilarious even. I managed to retrieve the squirrel corpse with yoga poses and a stick. Now there is not enough Celebrex in the world to make me bend like that.
We thought that the original concrete deck might be damaged but it was almost perfect. Manuel power-washed it and it looked amazing. Then our gardener came in and reset all the original boulders, graded the ground, replaced the little pebbles, added some rock and new cedar mulch. Teddy took me out for lunch and took a shot of me, below, in the perfect new yard. Teddy refers to my spotted Calvin Klein coat as my ‘Bet Lynch’ coat…only the Brits will get that but substitute any reality housewife. I have since painted the deck with stain called ‘Adobe’ and it looks exactly as it sounds.
But the critters were sad. Our beloved ‘Tail’ family of squirrels disappeared during the construction. They all had a genetic abnormality with their tails – we called them ‘Half’, ‘Three Quarters’ and the original girl, ‘Tail’. Naming animals is not our forte – we had one cat called Puss. We missed our little friends but then a new family moved in – the Floofs! They have full fluffy tails, glossy fur and bright white spots on their ears. Unlike our ‘Tails’, they run away when I open the door to give them peanuts but soon return. Then, one happy day last week, ‘Three Quarters’ returned! She sat and waited as I found a snack for her. We keep hoping that all the Tails return.
All three of our Egyptian cats are buried in our garden. I hope they approve of the new garden. RIP baby cats.
Looks great, love the coat. Keep us posted on the Tail family 😊🐿
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Thank you – it embodies cougar. 🐆 Ha, ha!!
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All good things … 😉 I will always remember your stories of that critter trap though! 🙂
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Thank you! Maybe this is my writing legacy…😊
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Haha don’t be silly, you are way too young for that! Plenty of years ahead for you to find your legacy! 🙂
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👵😂
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Anyway, there’s definitely a grown-up children’s book in there if you collate all your critter run tales together! 😉 🙂
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I like the idea of a grown up children’s book!
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Me too! 🙂 🙂
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Beautiful cats. I am totally a cat person. Well now the critters will find somewhere else to decompose. Maybe under the bushes Fa la la la la la la la la
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LOL! We have a family of black vultures that should help out. They were sitting on top of the pharmacy the other day, waiting for someone to pop their clogs!!
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The new deck looks amazing. You and the coat too.
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Thank you so much, Peggy. The coat is as old as the deck was… 😊
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Good luck with the new deck. Hopefully, there will be no more corpses.
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Thanks Neil. If there are any corpses, the vultures and I will find them easily!
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You and the garden looking good.
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Thank you so much, Katharine. 💟
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You could write a book about that deck! Amazing! 👍❤️
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That’s an idea! Thank you, Luffy.
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When you own a home, there’s always something that needs doing, updating or replaced!! (But I guess I don’t need to tell you that!!)
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That is so true, GP. We have replaced our back door three times… They don’t make stuff like they used to!
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Planned obsolescence.
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I like the change! Happy Times are ahead! 🧡✨🍑✨🧡
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Thank you, Gail. We love the change too! 🍁🍂🍁
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A beautiful story! Your three cats get to spend eternity in the place they called home.
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Thank you, Rob. They were street cats so this was their American dream.
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The new deck and “deck figure” look great. Hope all your critters will return to the yard.
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Thank you so much, Tanja! I miss my little ‘tails’ but the new ones are cute, too. We still have plenty of birds, with the Robins arriving a couple of weeks ago.
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Hi Kerry,
You are looking fabulous!!!
The cement patio is in great shape and it sounds like it will be such a relief.
Do your cats have little plaques or tombstones, or any kind of markers?
Blessings to you!
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Thank you, Ana! There are no markers for the kitties but we know where they are buried. Each of them are in little blue satchels that the vets put them in. K x
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Look at you hot momma!
I hope the squirrels find another good home.
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Thank you! The ‘tails’ have started to come back. They missed their nut mom…
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Awwww😍
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Love your sense of humour, Kerry. That deck area certainly has some history with dead bodies, and props to you for taking effort to remove the dead bodies as it happened. It really sounded hilarious when you retrieved a squirrel corpse with bendy poses and a stick – and got there in the end 😄 The original deck unearthed looks amazing and time for it to shine. That jacket looks wonderful on you and you sure know how to pose beautifully. And Teddy takes good photos of you. Many happy memories with your revamped deck 😊
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Thank you, Mabel. I make Teddy take numerous shots with my camera until he gets it right…😂 Really enjoying the new garden and how tidy it would look if there were no leaves all over it!
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That is wonderful Teddy takes multiple shots when you ask. Anything for you and he makes sure to get it right 😂 It really does look tidy and the light colour makes it look like there’s plenty of room.
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Thank you!! 🤗
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Enjoy the week and your outfits for the week, Kerry 🤗
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Our deck needs a deconstruction. I’m a little scared now, but what a great find for you!
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We back onto a forest, Crystal, so we expect myriad critters!
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Knock on wood, I haven’t seen a skunk here. We have raccoons and possums though.
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Skunks are wee cuties, as long as they keep their defense weapon to themselves…😁
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It look very nice.😊
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Thank you so much!
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Welcome🥰
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How odd that the wild animals chose under your deck to die. Glad you were able to come up with an attractive solution. Nice pic of you!
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Maybe it smelt like a cemetery… I feel quite comforted that there last hours were in a safe place.
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That’s a nice thought.
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